Fatherhood and Authority

Does America Have A Father Or Is It A Bastard Nation?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2023-02-03

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the biblical concept of fatherhood and nationhood, arguing that a nation is defined by its people, not its land. Using Hebrews 12:8, he contends that a nation without God's chastening is a 'bastard nation'—one that has rejected God's fatherly authority, law, and discipline. He applies this to America, citing widespread rebellion, immorality, and rejection of biblical principles as evidence that America has become a bastard nation. The only remedy is national repentance, faith, and return to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And we're going to read verses 4 and 5. However, I will not be expounding on these two verses other than showing you a development as we go through the Scriptures looking at them. So notice, if you would, Genesis chapter 17. The title of the message, it may surprise you, so listen carefully. The title of the message is, Does America have a father or is it a bastard nation? So look in Genesis chapter 17, notice verses four and five. God says, and for me, behold, my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations. He's speaking to Abram. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee." Notice, if you would, even here, when he talks about a father of many nations, it is not talking about a land mass or a geographical location.

[John Weaver] It is referring to people. Now, the title of this sermon seems a bit strange and unique in one sense of the word. Because this question, does America have a father, or is America a bastard nation? It could be asked another way, and that way of asking is simply this, who is the father of our nation if there is one? And for instance, I'm sure that you could give me some historical answers. For instance, most people would say, well, George Washington is known as the father of our country, and that is certainly true. And I believe that George Washington was not only a noble man, I believe he was a godly man, and I certainly believe that he was a patriot. And let me give you just a couple of samples, and I'll give you another quote later, of something that George Washington said.

[John Weaver] For instance, in October the 3rd, 1789, he says this, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. And then his address to the Continental Army before the Battle of Long Island on August the 27th, 1776, he said this, the time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves, whether they are to have any property they can call their own, whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human effort will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend under God on the courage and the conduct of this army.

[John Weaver] Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or to die. Certainly, the truth that he enunciated in 1776 is equally true and valid today because we have cruel and unrelenting enemies that have secured for themselves positions of power, positions of wealth, and they seek basically to enslave the world.

[John Weaver] Now, when we talk about founding fathers, we can name a number of men like Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, John Witherspoon, Ben Franklin, Jonathan Mayhew, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and a host of other men. And certainly each of these men did indeed have a major role in the founding of this country. And as I think about these men, I think about the fact that not only they had a major role, but it is probably with regret today and disappointment that we have to say that we have strayed from and left the principles that they enunciated and set forth. And if it were absolutely possible If those men were able to see today what is going on, I'm sure that they would indeed be rolling over in their graves, in one sense of the word, because we have indeed left everything that they labored for and sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to secure. But not only do we have founding fathers, per se, but we also had spiritual fathers as well.

[John Weaver] There were so many pastors during the American War for Independence. Everybody knows of Jonas Clark, of course. And then there was John Witherspoon. There was Ezra Stiles. There was Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. And there was also Jacob Duchesne, who also gave the first prayer in Congress as well. There was Moses and Thomas Allen. There was Timothy Dwight. There was James Caldwell. There was John Gano, and a host of others as well.

[John Weaver] So, unhappily, Most historians, as well as most people today, have not recognized the importance of God's preachers in the founding, and yea, even in the protection of this country. Because most people today depend upon standing armies, or great wealth, or great weaponry, or something like that, and thinking that our safety lies in that. Let me give you just a few quotes, and I want you to think about these as I give them to you.

[John Weaver] We're going to be looking at a number of scriptures, but in light of just what I said, Proverbs 20 and verse 7, the Bible says some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. And then in Psalm 147 and verse 10, he delighteth not in the strength of a horse, he taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man. In other words, man's ability, man's strength, man's Anything that man can do it does not please God in and off himself So he takes no delight in the legs of a man when you get to Psalm 33 verses 16 and 17 the scripture says there is no king saved by the multitude of a host a Mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

[John Weaver] A horse is a vain thing for safety Neither will he deliver anybody's great strength So notice, if you would, everything is actually putting down what you and I would call that which we mainly depend upon. And I love Psalm 127 and verse 1. I've quoted that very often. Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it. And except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. And of course, then in Proverbs 21 and verse 31, the Bible says the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord."

[John Weaver] So obviously, standing armies, great weaponry, none of this is really sufficient in defending a people or defending a nation apart from God Himself. Now, there are two very important Scriptures I want you to see. And these Scriptures are in relationship to God's preachers and the protection of His nation. Everyone knows the names of Elijah and Elisha. These were two mighty men of God. They were used of God not only in protecting that nation, but in one sense of the word, in establishing the nation as well. So I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings 2. Remember now, God told Abram that He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Kings 2, Notice, if you would please, in verse 12, 2 Kings chapter 2, you remember Elisha. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle upon him, and Elisha said to him, me to go and say goodbye to my father and my mother." And Elijah said, what have I done with thee?

[John Weaver] So Elisha went back, and he sacrificed his oxen, and he burned his plowing equipment, said goodbye to his father and mother, and followed Elijah and ministered to him. In fact, Elisha was known as the man who poured water upon the hands of Elisha. In other words, he was a servant to Elijah. So look, if you would, in 2 2 in verse 12, because Elijah was about to be taken to heaven in a whirlwind. In fact, let's read verse 11 as well. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, they behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof, And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and ripped them to two pieces. Note what Elijah said when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. He said, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

[John Weaver] In other words, he is recognizing that Elijah, being a representative of God, was indeed the true protection of the nation. Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles, to 2 Kings 13, you will find that when it came time for Elisha to die, King Joash basically said exactly the same thing concerning Elisha. So in 2 Kings 13, in verse 14, the Bible says, Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness, whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." In other words, we must understand that our safety is really and truly dependent upon God. And God speaks to us through His representatives, through His preachers, through His prophets. And through these preachers and prophets, He warns us, He exhorts us, He admonishes us. He encourages us. And so we must heed the warnings if we really and truly wish to be protected, and if we really and truly wish to be prosperous.

[John Weaver] Now, since we're talking about fathers, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. We've talked about founding fathers. We've talked about spiritual fathers in one sense of the word. God said to Abram, He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you will look in your Bibles now to Romans 4, you will see how in the New Testament that the truth is given to us again concerning Abram. So Romans 4, beginning there with verse 11. Look at it. Romans 4, verse 11.

[John Weaver] And he, that is Abraham, received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised. Now look, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." So the Bible tells us that he is indeed the father of all of those that believe. And all of those that believe are going to be walking the steps of Abraham.

[John Weaver] Now, the Apostle Paul himself claimed to be a spiritual father. How did he get to be a spiritual father? And the answer is, through the ministry which God gave him, preaching and teaching where many were converted. In fact, the Apostle Paul started a number of churches. He started the church at Corinth, and he wrote to these Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 15 and said this, For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel. So Paul is claiming to be their spiritual father. because he was the means that God used to convert them. And then, of course, he said to the Galatians, in Galatians 4 and verse 19, my little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. So again, we have Paul then as a spiritual father.

[John Weaver] I'm saying all this to point out something, and that is this, we have failed to recognize the importance of the significance and, I'll say the word again, of the significance and the importance or the necessity of fathers and fatherhood. This is true not only in the familial realm, the family realm, it's true in the spiritual realm, it's also true in the national realm. When you look around in our country, you will find that feminism and wokeism and all the other isms as well, all fight against fatherly authority and headship and influence. God places a great deal of emphasis upon the man, upon headship. I want to show you just two passages that will demonstrate this importance. So if you look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 11, I quoted this verse last week, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm teaching this week. 1 Corinthians 11, look if you would please at verse 3.

[John Weaver] So the Apostle Paul is going to enunciate God's order. And here's what he says, But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. So here you have it. There is God, Christ, man, woman. That is God's order. Not only His order, that is the way everything moves.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just as God requires the woman, the wife, the mother to be in submission to her husband. God also requires the husband to be in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. No one escapes submission. So even our Lord Jesus Christ, as He came as the God-man, submitted Himself to the will of His Father. So many times He said, I came not to do My own will, but to Him, the will of Him that sent Me. God, Christ, man, woman.

[John Weaver] This is true in the home, and it's true in other areas as well. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, the book of Exodus, chapter 22, and verses 16 and 17. I'm just trying to show you right now, fatherly authority, patriarchal authority, if you wish to call it this. Look at this. Exodus chapter 22, beginning there with verse 16. And let me just stop with verse 16. Look at this.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. So if a man then seduces a young woman, she's not betrothed, she's not married, she's not engaged, God said, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. In other words, he must marry her.

[John Weaver] Now, if this law was applied, I think it would certainly cut down on a lot of fornication. But now watch if you would again, verse 16, because there's going to be an exception to this. Watch. And if a man enticeth a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife, if her father utterly refused to give her unto him.

[John Weaver] He shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So the only exception to verse 16 is verse 17, if the father utterly refused to give her unto Him. And in other words, even in an immoral situation, even what you and I might call an emergency situation, the father still had the authority to say, Yes, she may marry him, or no, she may not marry him. And if he said no, then the man was to pay the young woman a dowry according to divergence, which was usually two to three years' wages. Yes. So, but the point I'm trying to make at this point is, obviously, here is fatherly authority clearly established in the Bible. So the father had the final say whether or not the daughter was to marry or not to marry.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5. And here is another reason why. And I quoted this passage last week. So, Clay, I'm only hitting a light point of last week's message, okay? So, Mary, listen up. All right. So notice, if you would, Ephesians chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 31. The Bible says, For this call shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh.

[John Weaver] This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular husbands so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. So notice if you would, again, we're talking about a position of importance, a position of authority, and a position of honor.

[John Weaver] Now, with this in mind, with the background, I want you to turn right over to Hebrews chapter 12, because you're going to see the connection, I hope now, of what I've been trying to show you in reference to fathers. There have been founding fathers, political fathers, spiritual fathers, So, let's begin reading with verse 5, Hebrews 12, verse 5. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children.

[John Weaver] My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, For what son is he whom the father chasteth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not son." Now, what I want to do is ask you to concentrate with me just for a little bit on this truth where he said, But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.

[John Weaver] Let me say this, first of all. Do not shy away from this word. Do not be upset about this word. It is a biblical word, and it certainly conveys truth that is applicable, not just to the families, but also to the nation as well.

[John Weaver] Now, what in the world is a bastard? First of all, the Greek word is nothos, And it literally means a bastard or what you and I would call an illegitimate son, one that is born out of wedlock. Such children back in Bible times were usually born to concubines, to prostitutes or to slaves. Today, Many such children are born due to high immorality, governmental education, welfare, and ungodly and unbiblical sexual exploitation. So I want you to note in the context the significance of the word bastard.

[John Weaver] He said, watch carefully, but if you be without chastisement, who of all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons." So a bastard, according to the Bible, is a fatherless child. He was a child that was not loved by his father. He was not loved by the man who sired him. And therefore, he is not only unloved, he's untaught, he's untrained, he is undisciplined. He has no fatherly direction. He has no fatherly instruction. He's not under a father's law. In other words, there's no accountability to this child because there's no authority over this child.

[John Weaver] Now, this truth should make something exceedingly clear, and that is this, that child discipline, child instruction, Child training is not a form of hate, but a form of love, because the father that loves his child will educate him, will train that child, and will certainly discipline that child as well. Now, another thought concerning a bastard is this. It is possible, and I'll show you from Scripture, It is possible that one could make himself a bastard. Hmm. How in the world could that possibly happen? That is by the child refusing the authority of the father, refusing the instruction of the father, refusing the law of the father, refusing to hear, refusing to heed, refusing to obey. And He would be for all practicality what you and I would call a bastard.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this, and I'm going to show you very quickly. Such a person in the book of Proverbs is called a fool, foolish, a scorner, a despiser, and a grievous person. So let me show you. Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Proverbs chapter 10. And look, if you would please, at verse 1, Proverbs 10 and verse 1. I'll just show you several passages very quickly. Note, if you would, what this child is called. Look at it. The Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is heaviness, is the heaviness of his mother. A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Look in chapter 13 and verse 1. Here it is again. A wise son heareth his father's instruction, but a scorner heareth not rebuke. A scorner heareth not rebuke. Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Now, in this passage, he's called a fool. A fool despiseth his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." Skip down to verse 20 in the same chapter.

[John Weaver] A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Look, if you would, in Proverbs 17 and verse 21. Proverbs 17, verse 21. He that begeth a fool doeth it to his sorrow, and the father of a fool hath no joy." Skip down to verse 25. A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bear him. And then if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 13, the Scripture says, A foolish son is the calamity of his father, and the contentions of a wife are continual dripping. A foolish son is the calamity of his father. So all through this book of Proverbs, he's been called a fool, he's been called foolish, he's been called a scorner, he's been called one who despises reproof and rebuke. Now, we've been talking about a father, and we've been talking about children.

[John Weaver] And God said to Abram that I'm going to make thee a father of many nations. Let me say this again, and I'm going to show it to you from Scripture. A nation is not a landmass. A nation is a people. So I'm telling you that it is possible for individuals, for families, for churches, for nations to become bastards. So you could have a bastard a bastard family, a bastard church, and a bastard nation.

[John Weaver] I'll give you the prime example. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah chapter 1, and you can see how bastard individuals become a bastard nation. Watch. Isaiah chapter 1, beginning there with verse 2. Look what God says. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. Now note what God says, and He's talking about Israel.

[John Weaver] He said, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Now here's how stupid they are. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel does not know. My people does not consider. In other words, they don't know which side their bread is buttered on. They don't even know where their bread comes from. They're dumber than an animal.

[John Weaver] Now, watch if you would, look if you would, in verse two again, he said, Hear, O Israel, and give ear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me. Then he said in verse 3, the latter part, my people doth not consider. Now watch verse 4, a sinful nation. A nation is a people. It's usually a people of the same race. It's usually a people of the same speech. It's usually people of the same faith. He says, all sinful nation of people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors, they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel into anger, and they are going away backward. Now watch how impotent they are.

[John Weaver] Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been clothed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

[John Weaver] Now here's the result of having a bastard nation. Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land, strangers devoured in your presence. It is desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion, that would be Israel, is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. So this passage not only states, but demonstrates rebellion, and especially that of rebellious children.

[John Weaver] They do not recognize their father. They do not recognize his law. They do not recognize his authority. They're dumber than animals. They're laden with their sins. They're laden with their iniquities. They provoke God in His face. They thumb their nose in His face. They're defiant unto Him. They refuse correction. Nothing that He does to them will turn them. It just simply makes them worse and worse and worse. They will not hear. They will not heed. They will not listen. They will not obey. Practically speaking, they have no father. They're bastards, and a bastard So, let me emphasize this. Yes, there are bastard children. Yes, there are bastard families. Yes, there are bastard churches. And there are bastard nations.

[John Weaver] I was reading a short article by R.J. In fact, the article was titled, How to Pray Thy Kingdom Come. And I got the one paragraph, and that one paragraph got my mind to churning. And I want you to listen to what Rush Dooney wrote. And Rush Dooney's been dead since 91, I think it was, or 99, sometime in the 90s. But listen to what he wrote. A fatherless home is a broken home, one lacking its true support and authority. Likewise, a people whose lives are lived apart from God the Father are without true authority and security. A godless nation is a nation in which authority and law are broken or corrupt because the only source of authority is denied or neglected. The nations of today are broken homes, breeding delinquency in the body politic because of their prodigal wandering from the authority of God the Father, who is alone the true sovereign of all nations. Having rejected His authority, they are subject to His judgment." Wow! When you look at America and what is going on today, It is absolutely astounding in light of what he wrote, because this is exactly where we are.

[John Weaver] That's why you have congressmen like Jerry Nadler, who says the Bible has no place in Congress. Wow. Let me show you something. Go back in your Bibles to Psalm 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 12. Psalm 33, verse 12. Watch this. Psalm 33, verse 12. The Word of God says, look at it now, blessed is the nation Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." Now, wait, look at that again. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people. It's the people who make up the nation. The nation is the people.

[John Weaver] It is not a geographical landmass. So he says, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for His inheritance."

[John Weaver] Now, if you would, turn right over to Psalm 65. As you're turning there, you must understand this, that nations may have God as their Lord and Father exactly as do individuals. So, in Psalm 33 and verse 12, the nation is defined as people, and people are defined as the nation. In other words, nations are made up of individuals. They are made up of people. When you look at Psalm 65, look if you would please there at verse 4, Psalm 65 and verse 4, the Bible says, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even thy holy temple. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee." So God chooses individuals. Individuals are people, and people make up nations. Hmm. So let's look in Psalm 106. Let's tie this together plainly. Psalm 106. And let's begin reading there with verse 1, Psalm 106, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord," now watch,"'Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.'" So He has chosen individuals. He's chosen people. those people then make up the nation and his inheritance." Wow! So the word nation does not refer specifically to a landmass or to borders, but to a people, a people of the same race, same religion, the same faith, the same language. Now, let me show you.

[John Weaver] Turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 25. You remember Rebekah, Isaac's wife, was going to have twins. And those twins were struggling in her womb. So if you'll notice in Genesis chapter 25, let's begin reading there with verse 22. And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. So here's what the Lord told her. Now watch carefully. And the Lord said in her, two nations are in thy womb, and two men or people shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people or the one nation shall be stronger than the other people of the other nation, and the elder shall serve the younger. So a nation is a people. Two nations are in her womb, two peoples were in her womb. In other words, two different people, two different nations.

[John Weaver] The Edomites were not like the Israelites. They were totally, completely different. Look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 33 and verse 13. Exodus 33 verse 13. Watch this. Exodus 33 and verse 13.

[John Weaver] Moses says, Now therefore I pray thee, if I found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. Hmm. This nation is thy people. They were not in the promised land. They were not in a geographical landmass. He said, this nation is thy people. If you would turn right on over to the book of Leviticus chapter 20, Leviticus chapter 20, and look at verses 23. Watch if you would, begin with verse 23, Leviticus 20, verse 23. He said, And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation which I cast out before you. Now, obviously, they were going to walk on the same land, but a nation is not a land, a nation is people. He said, And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation, or the people, which I cast out before you. For they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

[John Weaver] But I have said unto you, You shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey. I'm the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people." Note, if you would, He said, you're not going to walk like the other nation, that is, the other people. But He said, I'm going to give you their land. But a nation is a people.

[John Weaver] Then if you would turn right on over to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, Deuteronomy chapter 4. And this one is absolutely beautiful. It is astounding. Look what God says to His people. Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whether you go to possess it. So Moses is telling this to the people. Keep therefore and do them, that is God's law, God's judgments, Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, not in sight of the landmasses, but in sight of other people. Which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation, that is, this great people, is a wise and understanding people. For what nation or what people is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we shall call upon Him for.

[John Weaver] And what nation or what people is there so great that hath statues and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" So notice if you would how nations are indeed people.

[John Weaver] Now, you say, but is it different in the New Testament? And the answer is no. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 21, You remember how those Jews and the Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus, rejected Him, and notice if you would, after He told the parable of the vineyard in Matthew chapter 21, let's begin reading with verse 40, Matthew 21 and verse 40. In fact, go back to verse 39, He finally sent His only Son, verse 39, and they called Him, cast him out of the vineyard, and they slew him." Well, that's exactly what they did to the Lord Jesus. Now, look what our Lord asked,"'When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?' They say unto Him,"'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, who will render Him the fruits in their seasons.' Jesus said unto them,"'Did you never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected, The same has become the head of the corner.

[John Weaver] This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation or a people bringing forth the fruits thereof." It's not given to a landmass. The landmass can't bring forth any fruits thereof. It's the people that can do that. So our Lord said, the kingdom is going to be taken from you, and it's going to be given to a people that will bring forth the fruits thereof. So the nations are a people, and not necessarily a geographical piece of land.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just ask you a question. I want you to think about the title of this message. Does America have a father, or is America a bastard nation? You remember I told you that you can become a bastard by rejecting the authority of the Father, the law of the Father, the rule of the Father. Isaiah chapter 1 makes that exceedingly clear. So let me give you a few quotes. I want you to listen to these quotes from our founding fathers, so to speak.

[John Weaver] Fisher Ames, who was an influential member of the first federal Congress, recommended the Scriptures text book. He said this, Should not in the Bible, should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. In no book is there such good English, so pure and so elegant, and by teaching all from the same book, they will speak alike, And the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith. How many government schools teach the Bible? Not even as English normally. No.

[John Weaver] John Adams wrote to Benjamin Rush on February the 2nd, 1807, and he says this, the Bible contains the most profound philosophy the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon earth. It is the most Republican book, that is, the rule of law in the world, and therefore I will still revere it. Without national morality, a Republican government or government of law cannot be maintained." Listen, without national morality, a government of law cannot be maintained. Patrick Henry said, the Bible is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed. John Jay, President of the Continental Congress, who also helped co-author the Federalist Papers, and was the first Supreme Court Justice, said it like this, the Bible is the best of all books, for it is the Word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue, therefore, to read it and to regulate your life by its principles."

[John Weaver] George Washington, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly to implore His protection and favor. Moreover, he said, we owe God our sincere and humble thanks for the favorable interpositions of His providence. John Adams, as a young man, wrote this in his diary in 1756. He said, suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precept there exhibited. Every member would be obliged in conscience to temperance, to frugality, and to industry, to justice, and kindness, and charity toward his fellow men, and to piety, love, and reference toward Almighty God. What a utopia, what a paradise that region would be if people just simply lived by the Bible. Alexis de Tocqueville, the Frenchman who came to America and wrote the book, Democracy in America, made this comment in the book.

[John Weaver] He said, upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention. The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive of the one without the other. Stop and think about that. He said that Christianity and liberty were so intertwined in the American mind when he came here that it was impossible to distinguish one without the other. And that's the way it should be, for the Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where He is not, there is no liberty. There is only enslavement.

[John Weaver] It was John Hancock and, well, it's John Adams who said, we recognize no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus. These men were the ones who helped found this country. Here's some quotes from John Adams. Listen, I'll tie it together, but listen. He said, the Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the precepts of Christianity. The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the great principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God.

[John Weaver] Did you hear what he said? The general principles upon which freedom was established was the principles of Christianity. He goes on to say this, the highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity. In 1776, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he said, we have this day restored the sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient.

[John Weaver] He reigns in heaven from the rising to the setting sun. Let his kingdom come. One more quote. John Adams to John Scolay in 1776 said, Revelation assures us that righteousness exalted the nation. Communities are dealt with in this world by the wise and just ruler of the universe. He rewards or punishes them according to their general character." And then he went on to say that happiness is connected to virtue. And when virtue is diminished, so does happiness, and so does liberty, and so does freedom.

[John Weaver] Now the Bible says in the book of Proverbs chapter 14 and verse 34, listen carefully, righteousness exalted a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. There's the nation and there's the people. Righteousness exalted the nation. We could say righteousness exalted the people, but sin is a reproach to any people or to any nation. because a nation happens to be the people. And when you get to Psalm 9 in verse 17, the Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God. It's not the land masses that's going to be turned into hell, but the people, because nations are people.

[John Weaver] So let me ask this question again. Is America a bastard nation? Has America forsaken God the Father, His law, His authority, His instruction. So, let me make some applications. Here we go. What is a bastard? It is a child that has no fatherly presence or influence in his life. It is a child that is not disciplined and is rebellious and wicked. Hence the Bible says in Hebrews 12, He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chastened not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons."

[John Weaver] So let me spell it out for you. Here we go. If someone who professes to be a Christian can consistently and constantly sin and rebel against God and go contrary to God's law and contrary to God's authority and does not get chastened, does not get whipped, does not get corrected, does not get scourged, then that individual is not a Christian. He's a bastard. God chastens His own. I've never whipped any of Steve and Lorraine's children. They're not mine. I have no fatherly authority to do that. That's Steve's position. God is not going to whip those who do not belong to Him.

[John Weaver] So if this is true individually, It is also true nationally because individuals make up nations. Nations are people and people are nations. If a nation can flout God and God's law and thumb its nose in God's face and commit all kinds of wickedness and perversions and murder and whatever it chooses, it is not a Christian nation. It's a bastard nation. Listen to me. Proverbs 3 and verse 12, for whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as a father, the son, and whom he delighted. Listen again, for whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth.

[John Weaver] Correcting, chastening, scourging, discipline is an act of love. for whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth." You know what our Lord said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 19? He said, As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. If you don't get rebuked when you sin, if you don't get chastened when you're sinned, You're not loved by Him as a child. You follow that?

[John Weaver] So these truths, I think, are very serious, and I think these truths are also very applicable. When we talk about the lack of discipline, when we talk about the immorality, the destruction of the rule of law, the rise of sexual perversions, the subsidizing of wickedness by our government and groups, the loss of liberty, the denial of rights, the destruction of the home, the mocking of patriarchy, the rise of a matriarchal society.

[John Weaver] All this points to the realization that in reality, we're a bastard nation. Everywhere you turn, Husbands are put down. Fathers are put down. Patriarchy is put down. Why? Because we're rejecting all authority. From that of our Heavenly Father to that of the earthly fathers. Which is evidence. Of a bastard nation, Thomas Paine in the American crisis said this. I am as confident. as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of her foreign dominion."

[John Weaver] When he wrote that, of course, he was speaking of George III, King of England. However, What are the larger problems that you and I possess in this nation is that we are indeed still under foreign dominion. However, it's not just England. It is those who call themselves the elite who are planning our destruction, who are planning our enslavement, who are planning to destroy everything that Christians hold dear. Now, we are under foreign dominion.

[John Weaver] When you read Deuteronomy chapter 28, that is a result of forsaking God and His law. It is denial of our Father's authority. The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father. And our Lord Jesus Christ said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh in the Father, but by me. So that means we must come back in humility. We must come back in repentance. We must come back in faith. We must come back in obedience. We must come back and learn to submit to our Father's authority, or else we will continue in the road of judgment. A nation that has God as its Father is an orderly nation an obedient nation, a law-abiding nation, one full of good works, one full of worship, and one full of faith. It is a nation of law. It is a nation of justice. It is a nation of righteousness.

[John Weaver] And when you look around today, we see corruption in the White House, corruption in Congress, corruption in the court system, corruption in big business, corruption everywhere. Why? because we rejected the authority of the father and his law. And we're just simply evidencing the fact that we've turned our backs upon him, just like Israel in Isaiah chapter one, and we've become a bastard people and a bastard nation because the people are the nation.

[John Weaver] The only way out It's repentance and obedience and faith. To me, when I thought this thing through, it is a sobering truth. It is a sobering truth. And unless there is real, genuine repentance. As bad as things are now. You ain't seen nothing yet. It will get. worse, without repentance and without faith. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith. Grant us, Lord, repentance.

[John Weaver] As the psalmist prayed, turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, Lord, and we shall call upon Thy name. Grant us repentance. Grant us faith. Grant us, Lord, obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

Does America Have A Father Or Is It A Bastard Nation?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	F2yxww9KG0M
Subject	Family Government
Course	Fatherhood and Authority
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-02-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 029: Fatherhood and Authority — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	73

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question of America's Fatherhood

Weaver poses the question of whether America has a father or is a bastard nation, referencing Genesis 17:4-5 where God makes Abram a father of many nations, emphasizing that 'nation' refers to people, not land.

And we're going to read verses 4 and 5. However, I will not be expounding on these two verses other than showing you a development as we go through the Scriptures looking at them. So notice, if you would, Genesis chapter 17. The title of the message, it may surprise you, so listen carefully. The title of the message is, "Does America have a father or is it a bastard nation?" So look in Genesis chapter 17, notice verses four and five. God says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 17:4-5

"And for me, behold, my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations."

He's speaking to Abram.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 17:4-5

"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee."

Notice, if you would, even here, when he talks about a father of many nations, it is not talking about a land mass or a geographical location.

Historical and Spiritual Founding Fathers

Weaver acknowledges George Washington and other founding fathers as noble and godly men, but notes that America has strayed from their principles. He also highlights the role of pastors as spiritual fathers in the nation's founding and protection.

It is referring to people. Now, the title of this sermon seems a bit strange and unique in one sense of the word. Because this question, does America have a father, or is America a bastard nation? It could be asked another way, and that way of asking is simply this, who is the father of our nation if there is one? And for instance, I'm sure that you could give me some historical answers. For instance, most people would say, well, George Washington is known as the father of our country, and that is certainly true. And I believe that George Washington was not only a noble man, I believe he was a godly man, and I certainly believe that he was a patriot. And let me give you just a couple of samples, and I'll give you another quote later, of something that George Washington said.

For instance, in October the 3rd, 1789, he says this, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." And then his address to the Continental Army before the Battle of Long Island on August the 27th, 1776, he said this, "The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves, whether they are to have any property they can call their own, whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human effort will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend under God on the courage and the conduct of this army."

"Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or to die." Certainly, the truth that he enunciated in 1776 is equally true and valid today because we have cruel and unrelenting enemies that have secured for themselves positions of power, positions of wealth, and they seek basically to enslave the world. Now, when we talk about founding fathers, we can name a number of men like Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, John Witherspoon, Ben Franklin, Jonathan Mayhew, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and a host of other men. And certainly each of these men did indeed have a major role in the founding of this country. And as I think about these men, I think about the fact that not only they had a major role, but it is probably with regret today and disappointment that we have to say that we have strayed from and left the principles that they enunciated and set forth. And if it were absolutely possible, if those men were able to see today what is going on, I'm sure that they would indeed be rolling over in their graves, in one sense of the word, because we have indeed left everything that they labored for and sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to secure. But not only do we have founding fathers, per se, but we also had spiritual fathers as well.

There were so many pastors during the American War for Independence. Everybody knows of Jonas Clark, of course. And then there was John Witherspoon. There was Ezra Stiles. There was Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. And there was also Jacob Duchesne, who also gave the first prayer in Congress as well. There was Moses and Thomas Allen. There was Timothy Dwight. There was James Caldwell. There was John Gano, and a host of others as well.

So, unhappily, most historians, as well as most people today, have not recognized the importance of God's preachers in the founding, and yea, even in the protection of this country. Because most people today depend upon standing armies, or great wealth, or great weaponry, or something like that, and thinking that our safety lies in that. Let me give you just a few quotes, and I want you to think about these as I give them to you.

Biblical Basis: God's Protection Through His Representatives

Using 2 Kings 2:12 and 13:14, Weaver shows that Elijah and Elisha were called 'the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof,' indicating that God's prophets are the true protectors of a nation, not military might.

So obviously, standing armies, great weaponry, none of this is really sufficient in defending a people or defending a nation apart from God Himself. Now, there are two very important Scriptures I want you to see. And these Scriptures are in relationship to God's preachers and the protection of His nation. Everyone knows the names of Elijah and Elisha. These were two mighty men of God. They were used of God not only in protecting that nation, but in one sense of the word, in establishing the nation as well. So I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings 2. Remember now, God told Abram that He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Kings 2, notice, if you would please, in verse 12, 2 Kings chapter 2, you remember Elisha. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle upon him, and Elisha said to him, "Let me go and say goodbye to my father and my mother." And Elijah said, "What have I done with thee?"

So Elisha went back, and he sacrificed his oxen, and he burned his plowing equipment, said goodbye to his father and mother, and followed Elijah and ministered to him. In fact, Elisha was known as the man who poured water upon the hands of Elijah. In other words, he was a servant to Elijah. So look, if you would, in 2 Kings 2 in verse 12, because Elijah was about to be taken to heaven in a whirlwind. In fact, let's read verse 11 as well. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, they behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 2:11-12

"My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and ripped them to two pieces. Note what Elisha said when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. He said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 2:11-12

"My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

In other words, he is recognizing that Elijah, being a representative of God, was indeed the true protection of the nation. Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles, to 2 Kings 13, you will find that when it came time for Elisha to die, King Joash basically said exactly the same thing concerning Elisha. So in 2 Kings 13, in verse 14, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 13:14

"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness, whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

In other words, we must understand that our safety is really and truly dependent upon God. And God speaks to us through His representatives, through His preachers, through His prophets. And through these preachers and prophets, He warns us, He exhorts us, He admonishes us. He encourages us. And so we must heed the warnings if we really and truly wish to be protected, and if we really and truly wish to be prosperous.

Now, since we're talking about fathers, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. We've talked about founding fathers. We've talked about spiritual fathers in one sense of the word. God said to Abram, He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you will look in your Bibles now to Romans 4, you will see how in the New Testament that the truth is given to us again concerning Abram. So Romans 4, beginning there with verse 11. Look at it. Romans 4, verse 11.

Abraham as the Father of Believers and Paul as a Spiritual Father

Weaver explains from Romans 4:11-12 that Abraham is the father of all who believe, and from 1 Corinthians 4:15 that Paul became a spiritual father through the gospel, emphasizing the importance of spiritual fatherhood.

"And he, that is Abraham, received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised." Now look, "that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." So the Bible tells us that he is indeed the father of all of those that believe. And all of those that believe are going to be walking the steps of Abraham. Now, the Apostle Paul himself claimed to be a spiritual father. How did he get to be a spiritual father? And the answer is, through the ministry which God gave him, preaching and teaching where many were converted. In fact, the Apostle Paul started a number of churches. He started the church at Corinth, and he wrote to these Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 15 and said this,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 4:15

"For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel."

So Paul is claiming to be their spiritual father, because he was the means that God used to convert them. And then, of course, he said to the Galatians, in Galatians 4 and verse 19, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." So again, we have Paul then as a spiritual father.

I'm saying all this to point out something, and that is this, we have failed to recognize the importance of the significance and, I'll say the word again, of the significance and the importance or the necessity of fathers and fatherhood. This is true not only in the familial realm, the family realm, it's true in the spiritual realm, it's also true in the national realm. When you look around in our country, you will find that feminism and wokeism and all the other isms as well, all fight against fatherly authority and headship and influence. God places a great deal of emphasis upon the man, upon headship. I want to show you just two passages that will demonstrate this importance. So if you look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 11, I quoted this verse last week, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm teaching this week. 1 Corinthians 11, look if you would please at verse 3.

The Importance of Fatherly Authority and Headship

Weaver argues that feminism and wokeism attack fatherly authority. He cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 for God's order (God, Christ, man, woman) and Exodus 22:16-17 to show a father's authority even in immoral situations.

So the Apostle Paul is going to enunciate God's order. And here's what he says, "But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." So here you have it. There is God, Christ, man, woman. That is God's order. Not only His order, that is the way everything moves.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just as God requires the woman, the wife, the mother to be in submission to her husband, God also requires the husband to be in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. No one escapes submission. So even our Lord Jesus Christ, as He came as the God-man, submitted Himself to the will of His Father. So many times He said, "I came not to do My own will, but to Him, the will of Him that sent Me." God, Christ, man, woman. This is true in the home, and it's true in other areas as well. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, the book of Exodus, chapter 22, and verses 16 and 17. I'm just trying to show you right now, fatherly authority, patriarchal authority, if you wish to call it this. Look at this. Exodus chapter 22, beginning there with verse 16. And let me just stop with verse 16. Look at this.

The Bible says, "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife." So if a man then seduces a young woman, she's not betrothed, she's not married, she's not engaged, God said, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. In other words, he must marry her. Now, if this law was applied, I think it would certainly cut down on a lot of fornication. But now watch if you would again, verse 16, because there's going to be an exception to this. Watch. "And if a man enticeth a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife, if her father utterly refused to give her unto him." "He shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So the only exception to verse 16 is verse 17, if the father utterly refused to give her unto him. And in other words, even in an immoral situation, even what you and I might call an emergency situation, the father still had the authority to say, "Yes, she may marry him," or "No, she may not marry him." And if he said no, then the man was to pay the young woman a dowry according to virgins, which was usually two to three years' wages. Yes. So, but the point I'm trying to make at this point is, obviously, here is fatherly authority clearly established in the Bible. So the father had the final say whether or not the daughter was to marry or not to marry.

The Definition of a Bastard from Hebrews 12

Weaver defines 'bastard' (Greek nothos) as an illegitimate, fatherless child who is unloved, untaught, undisciplined, and without accountability. He explains that chastening is a sign of sonship, and its absence indicates bastardy.

"My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons." Now, what I want to do is ask you to concentrate with me just for a little bit on this truth where he said, "But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons." Let me say this, first of all. Do not shy away from this word. Do not be upset about this word. It is a biblical word, and it certainly conveys truth that is applicable, not just to the families, but also to the nation as well.

Now, what in the world is a bastard? First of all, the Greek word is nothos, and it literally means a bastard or what you and I would call an illegitimate son, one that is born out of wedlock. Such children back in Bible times were usually born to concubines, to prostitutes or to slaves. Today, many such children are born due to high immorality, governmental education, welfare, and ungodly and unbiblical sexual exploitation. So I want you to note in the context the significance of the word bastard. He said, watch carefully, "But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons." So a bastard, according to the Bible, is a fatherless child. He was a child that was not loved by his father. He was not loved by the man who sired him. And therefore, he is not only unloved, he's untaught, he's untrained, he is undisciplined. He has no fatherly direction. He has no fatherly instruction. He's not under a father's law. In other words, there's no accountability to this child because there's no authority over this child.

Now, this truth should make something exceedingly clear, and that is this, that child discipline, child instruction, child training is not a form of hate, but a form of love, because the father that loves his child will educate him, will train that child, and will certainly discipline that child as well. Now, another thought concerning a bastard is this. It is possible, and I'll show you from Scripture, it is possible that one could make himself a bastard. Hmm. How in the world could that possibly happen? That is by the child refusing the authority of the father, refusing the instruction of the father, refusing the law of the father, refusing to hear, refusing to heed, refusing to obey. And he would be for all practicality what you and I would call a bastard.

A Nation Can Become a Bastard: The Example of Israel

Weaver uses Isaiah 1:2-7 to show how rebellious children become a sinful nation, resulting in desolation. He argues that individuals, families, churches, and nations can become bastards by rejecting God's authority.

I'll give you the prime example. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah chapter 1, and you can see how bastard individuals become a bastard nation. Watch. Isaiah chapter 1, beginning there with verse 2. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-8

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken."

Now note what God says, and He's talking about Israel. He said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-8

"I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Now here's how stupid they are. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel does not know. My people does not consider."

In other words, they don't know which side their bread is buttered on. They don't even know where their bread comes from. They're dumber than an animal.

Now, watch if you would, look if you would, in verse two again, he said, "Hear, O Israel, and give ear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me." Then he said in verse 3, the latter part, "my people doth not consider." Now watch verse 4, "a sinful nation." A nation is a people. It's usually a people of the same race. It's usually a people of the same speech. It's usually people of the same faith. He says, "Ah sinful nation of people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors, they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel into anger, and they are going away backward." Now watch how impotent they are.

"Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been clothed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

Now here's the result of having a bastard nation. "Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land, strangers devoured in your presence. It is desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion, that would be Israel, is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." So this passage not only states, but demonstrates rebellion, and especially that of rebellious children. They do not recognize their father. They do not recognize his law. They do not recognize his authority. They're dumber than animals. They're laden with their sins. They're laden with their iniquities. They provoke God in His face. They thumb their nose in His face. They're defiant unto Him. They refuse correction. Nothing that He does to them will turn them. It just simply makes them worse and worse and worse. They will not hear. They will not heed. They will not listen. They will not obey. Practically speaking, they have no father. They're bastards, and a bastard nation.

Nations Are People, Not Landmasses

Weaver provides multiple scriptures (Psalm 33:12, 106:4-5; Genesis 25:22-23; Exodus 33:13; Leviticus 20:23-24; Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Matthew 21:43) to prove that a nation is a people, not a geographical area.

That's why you have congressmen like Jerry Nadler, who says the Bible has no place in Congress. Wow. Let me show you something. Go back in your Bibles to Psalm 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 12. Psalm 33, verse 12. Watch this. Psalm 33, verse 12. The Word of God says, look at it now,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:12

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."

Now, wait, look at that again.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:12

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people."

It's the people who make up the nation. The nation is the people.

It is not a geographical landmass. So he says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for His inheritance." Now, if you would, turn right over to Psalm 65. As you're turning there, you must understand this, that nations may have God as their Lord and Father exactly as do individuals. So, in Psalm 33 and verse 12, the nation is defined as people, and people are defined as the nation. In other words, nations are made up of individuals. They are made up of people. When you look at Psalm 65, look if you would please there at verse 4, Psalm 65 and verse 4, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 65:4

"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even thy holy temple. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee."

So God chooses individuals. Individuals are people, and people make up nations. Hmm. So let's look in Psalm 106. Let's tie this together plainly. Psalm 106. And let's begin reading there with verse 1, Psalm 106, verse 1.

"Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord," now watch, "'Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.'" So He has chosen individuals. He's chosen people. Those people then make up the nation and his inheritance. Wow! So the word nation does not refer specifically to a landmass or to borders, but to a people, a people of the same race, same religion, the same faith, the same language. Now, let me show you.

Turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 25. You remember Rebekah, Isaac's wife, was going to have twins. And those twins were struggling in her womb. So if you'll notice in Genesis chapter 25, let's begin reading there with verse 22. "And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord." So here's what the Lord told her. Now watch carefully. "And the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people or the one nation shall be stronger than the other people of the other nation, and the elder shall serve the younger." So a nation is a people. Two nations are in her womb, two peoples were in her womb. In other words, two different people, two different nations.

The Edomites were not like the Israelites. They were totally, completely different. Look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 33 and verse 13. Exodus 33 verse 13. Watch this. Exodus 33 and verse 13.

Moses says, "Now therefore I pray thee, if I found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people." Hmm. This nation is thy people. They were not in the promised land. They were not in a geographical landmass. He said, "this nation is thy people." If you would turn right on over to the book of Leviticus chapter 20, Leviticus chapter 20, and look at verses 23. Watch if you would, begin with verse 23, Leviticus 20, verse 23. He said, "And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation which I cast out before you." Now, obviously, they were going to walk on the same land, but a nation is not a land, a nation is people. He said, "And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation, or the people, which I cast out before you. For they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them."

"But I have said unto you, You shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey. I'm the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people." Note, if you would, He said, you're not going to walk like the other nation, that is, the other people. But He said, I'm going to give you their land. But a nation is a people.

Then if you would turn right on over to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, Deuteronomy chapter 4. And this one is absolutely beautiful. It is astounding. Look what God says to His people. Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whither you go to possess it." So Moses is telling this to the people. "Keep therefore and do them," that is God's law, God's judgments, "Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations," not in sight of the landmasses, but in sight of other people. "Which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation, that is, this great people, is a wise and understanding people. For what nation or what people is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we shall call upon Him for."

"And what nation or what people is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" So notice if you would how nations are indeed people. Now, you say, but is it different in the New Testament? And the answer is no. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 21, you remember how those Jews and the Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus, rejected Him, and notice if you would, after He told the parable of the vineyard in Matthew chapter 21, let's begin reading with verse 40, Matthew 21 and verse 40. In fact, go back to verse 39, "He finally sent His only Son, verse 39, and they caught him, cast him out of the vineyard, and they slew him." Well, that's exactly what they did to the Lord Jesus. Now, look what our Lord asked, "'When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?' They say unto Him, 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, who will render Him the fruits in their seasons.' Jesus said unto them, 'Did you never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.'"

"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation or a people bringing forth the fruits thereof." It's not given to a landmass. The landmass can't bring forth any fruits thereof. It's the people that can do that. So our Lord said, the kingdom is going to be taken from you, and it's going to be given to a people that will bring forth the fruits thereof. So the nations are a people, and not necessarily a geographical piece of land.

Evidence of America as a Bastard Nation

Weaver cites quotes from founding fathers and Alexis de Tocqueville to show America's Christian heritage, then contrasts it with current rejection of God's law, corruption, and immorality, concluding America is a bastard nation.

Fisher Ames, who was an influential member of the first federal Congress, recommended the Scriptures text book. He said this, "Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. In no book is there such good English, so pure and so elegant, and by teaching all from the same book, they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith." How many government schools teach the Bible? Not even as English normally. No. John Adams wrote to Benjamin Rush on February the 2nd, 1807, and he says this, "The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon earth. It is the most Republican book, that is, the rule of law in the world, and therefore I will still revere it. Without national morality, a Republican government or government of law cannot be maintained." Listen, without national morality, a government of law cannot be maintained. Patrick Henry said, "The Bible is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed." John Jay, President of the Continental Congress, who also helped co-author the Federalist Papers, and was the first Supreme Court Justice, said it like this, "The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the Word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue, therefore, to read it and to regulate your life by its principles."

George Washington, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly to implore His protection and favor." Moreover, he said, "We owe God our sincere and humble thanks for the favorable interpositions of His providence." John Adams, as a young man, wrote this in his diary in 1756. He said, "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precept there exhibited. Every member would be obliged in conscience to temperance, to frugality, and to industry, to justice, and kindness, and charity toward his fellow men, and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God. What a utopia, what a paradise that region would be if people just simply lived by the Bible." Alexis de Tocqueville, the Frenchman who came to America and wrote the book, Democracy in America, made this comment in the book.

He said, "Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention. The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive of the one without the other." Stop and think about that. He said that Christianity and liberty were so intertwined in the American mind when he came here that it was impossible to distinguish one without the other. And that's the way it should be, for the Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where He is not, there is no liberty. There is only enslavement. It was John Hancock and, well, it's John Adams who said, "We recognize no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus." These men were the ones who helped found this country. Here's some quotes from John Adams. Listen, I'll tie it together, but listen. He said, "The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the precepts of Christianity. The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the great principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God."

Did you hear what he said? The general principles upon which freedom was established was the principles of Christianity. He goes on to say this, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity." In 1776, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he said, "We have this day restored the sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient." "He reigns in heaven from the rising to the setting sun. Let his kingdom come." One more quote. John Adams to John Scolay in 1776 said, "Revelation assures us that righteousness exalted the nation. Communities are dealt with in this world by the wise and just ruler of the universe. He rewards or punishes them according to their general character." And then he went on to say that happiness is connected to virtue. And when virtue is diminished, so does happiness, and so does liberty, and so does freedom.

Now the Bible says in the book of Proverbs chapter 14 and verse 34, listen carefully, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." There's the nation and there's the people. Righteousness exalteth the nation. We could say righteousness exalteth the people, but sin is a reproach to any people or to any nation, because a nation happens to be the people. And when you get to Psalm 9 in verse 17, the Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God. It's not the land masses that's going to be turned into hell, but the people, because nations are people.

So let me ask this question again. Is America a bastard nation? Has America forsaken God the Father, His law, His authority, His instruction? So, let me make some applications. Here we go. What is a bastard? It is a child that has no fatherly presence or influence in his life. It is a child that is not disciplined and is rebellious and wicked. Hence the Bible says in Hebrews 12, "He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons."

Application and Call to Repentance

Weaver applies the principle that lack of chastening indicates bastardy to individuals and nations. He calls for repentance, faith, and return to God the Father through Jesus Christ as the only remedy.

So let me spell it out for you. Here we go. If someone who professes to be a Christian can consistently and constantly sin and rebel against God and go contrary to God's law and contrary to God's authority and does not get chastened, does not get whipped, does not get corrected, does not get scourged, then that individual is not a Christian. He's a bastard. God chastens His own. I've never whipped any of Steve and Lorraine's children. They're not mine. I have no fatherly authority to do that. That's Steve's position. God is not going to whip those who do not belong to Him.

So if this is true individually, it is also true nationally because individuals make up nations. Nations are people and people are nations. If a nation can flout God and God's law and thumb its nose in God's face and commit all kinds of wickedness and perversions and murder and whatever it chooses, it is not a Christian nation. It's a bastard nation. Listen to me. Proverbs 3 and verse 12, "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as a father, the son, in whom he delighteth." Listen again, "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth." Correcting, chastening, scourging, discipline is an act of love. "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth." You know what our Lord said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 19? He said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent." As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. If you don't get rebuked when you sin, if you don't get chastened when you're sinned, you're not loved by Him as a child. You follow that?

So these truths, I think, are very serious, and I think these truths are also very applicable. When we talk about the lack of discipline, when we talk about the immorality, the destruction of the rule of law, the rise of sexual perversions, the subsidizing of wickedness by our government and groups, the loss of liberty, the denial of rights, the destruction of the home, the mocking of patriarchy, the rise of a matriarchal society. All this points to the realization that in reality, we're a bastard nation. Everywhere you turn, husbands are put down. Fathers are put down. Patriarchy is put down. Why? Because we're rejecting all authority. From that of our Heavenly Father to that of the earthly fathers. Which is evidence of a bastard nation. Thomas Paine in the American crisis said this. "I am as confident as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of her foreign dominion."

When he wrote that, of course, he was speaking of George III, King of England. However, what are the larger problems that you and I possess in this nation is that we are indeed still under foreign dominion. However, it's not just England. It is those who call themselves the elite who are planning our destruction, who are planning our enslavement, who are planning to destroy everything that Christians hold dear. Now, we are under foreign dominion.

When you read Deuteronomy chapter 28, that is a result of forsaking God and His law. It is denial of our Father's authority. The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father. And our Lord Jesus Christ said, "I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So that means we must come back in humility. We must come back in repentance. We must come back in faith. We must come back in obedience. We must come back and learn to submit to our Father's authority, or else we will continue in the road of judgment. A nation that has God as its Father is an orderly nation, an obedient nation, a law-abiding nation, one full of good works, one full of worship, and one full of faith. It is a nation of law. It is a nation of justice. It is a nation of righteousness.

And when you look around today, we see corruption in the White House, corruption in Congress, corruption in the court system, corruption in big business, corruption everywhere. Why? Because we rejected the authority of the father and his law. And we're just simply evidencing the fact that we've turned our backs upon him, just like Israel in Isaiah chapter one, and we've become a bastard people and a bastard nation because the people are the nation. The only way out is repentance and obedience and faith. To me, when I thought this thing through, it is a sobering truth. It is a sobering truth. And unless there is real, genuine repentance, as bad as things are now, you ain't seen nothing yet. It will get worse, without repentance and without faith. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith. Grant us, Lord, repentance.

As the psalmist prayed, "Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, Lord, and we shall call upon Thy name." Grant us repentance. Grant us faith. Grant us, Lord, obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Definition of Nation as People

Summary: A nation is not a landmass but a people, often sharing race, language, and faith. This is foundational to understanding national fatherhood.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly states, 'A nation is not a landmass. A nation is a people.' He cites Genesis 25:23 ('two nations are in thy womb'), Exodus 33:13 ('this nation is thy people'), and Matthew 21:43 ('given to a nation bringing forth the fruits').

Fatherhood and Authority

Summary: God establishes fatherly authority in families, churches, and nations. Rejecting this authority leads to bastardy.

Evidence: Weaver discusses 1 Corinthians 11:3 (God-Christ-man-woman order), Exodus 22:16-17 (father's authority over daughter's marriage), and Hebrews 12:5-8 (chastening as sign of sonship).

Chastening as Proof of Sonship

Summary: God's discipline is an act of love and evidence of being His child. Absence of chastening indicates bastardy.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Hebrews 12:8: 'if ye be without chastisement, then are ye bastards, and not sons.' He also cites Proverbs 3:12 and Revelation 3:19.

America's Rejection of God's Authority

Summary: America has forsaken its Christian heritage, rejected God's law, and embraced immorality, evidencing itself as a bastard nation.

Evidence: Weaver quotes founding fathers on the Bible's importance, then contrasts with current corruption, sexual perversions, and attacks on patriarchy. He references Isaiah 1 as a parallel.

Repentance as the Only Remedy

Summary: The only way out of national bastardy is repentance, faith, and return to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father... we must come back in humility, in repentance, in faith, in obedience.' He cites John 14:6.

Key Arguments

A nation is defined by its people, not its territory.

Summary: Weaver argues that the Bible consistently uses 'nation' to refer to a people group, not a geographical area, which is crucial for applying the concept of fatherhood to America.

Evidence: He cites Genesis 25:23, Exodus 33:13, Deuteronomy 4:6-8, and Matthew 21:43, where 'nation' is equated with 'people.'

God's true protection of a nation comes through His representatives, not military might.

Summary: Weaver uses the examples of Elijah and Elisha being called 'the chariot of Israel' to show that prophets and preachers are the real defense of a nation.

Evidence: He reads 2 Kings 2:12 and 13:14, and cites Psalm 20:7, 147:10, 33:16-17, and 127:1 to argue that safety is of the Lord.

Fatherly authority is ordained by God and essential for order.

Summary: Weaver asserts that God's order is God-Christ-man-woman, and that fatherly authority is under attack today, leading to societal breakdown.

Evidence: He references 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Exodus 22:16-17, and states that 'feminism and wokeism... fight against fatherly authority.'

A bastard is a fatherless child, lacking discipline and accountability.

Summary: Weaver defines 'bastard' from Hebrews 12:8 as one without a father's love, instruction, and chastening, and extends this to nations.

Evidence: He explains the Greek word nothos and describes a bastard as 'unloved, untaught, untrained, undisciplined... no accountability.'

America exhibits the characteristics of a bastard nation.

Summary: Weaver lists evidence such as rejection of the Bible, corruption, immorality, and attacks on patriarchy, concluding America has become a bastard nation.

Evidence: He cites quotes from founding fathers on the Bible's role, then contrasts with current conditions: 'corruption in the White House, corruption in Congress, corruption in the court system.'

National repentance is the only solution.

Summary: Weaver argues that just as individuals must repent, so must the nation collectively return to God to escape judgment.

Evidence: He says, 'The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father... we must come back in humility, in repentance, in faith, in obedience.'

Scripture References

Genesis 17:4-5

Context: God promises Abram he will be a father of many nations, emphasizing that 'nation' refers to people.

Proverbs 20:7

Context: Some trust in chariots and horses, but we remember the Lord; used to show that military might is not true security.

Psalm 147:10

Context: God takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or legs of a man; human ability does not please God.

Psalm 33:16-17

Context: No king is saved by a multitude; a horse is a vain thing for safety; safety is of the Lord.

Psalm 127:1

Context: Except the Lord build the house and keep the city, human efforts are in vain.

Proverbs 21:31

Context: The horse is prepared for battle, but safety is of the Lord.

2 Kings 2:11-12

Context: Elisha cries 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel' as Elijah is taken up, recognizing the prophet as the nation's protection.

2 Kings 13:14

Context: King Joash says the same of Elisha at his death, reinforcing that God's representatives are the true defense.

Romans 4:11-12

Context: Abraham is the father of all who believe, both circumcised and uncircumcised, who walk in his steps of faith.

1 Corinthians 4:15

Context: Paul claims to be a spiritual father to the Corinthians because he begot them through the gospel.

Galatians 4:19

Context: Paul travails in birth again until Christ is formed in the Galatians, showing spiritual fatherhood.

1 Corinthians 11:3

Context: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God; establishes divine order.

Exodus 22:16-17

Context: If a man seduces a virgin, he must marry her unless her father refuses; shows fatherly authority even in immorality.

Ephesians 5:31-33

Context: Husbands love wives, wives reverence husbands; emphasizes marital order and authority.

Hebrews 12:5-8

Context: God chastens every son; if without chastisement, you are bastards, not sons; central text for the sermon.

Proverbs 10:1; 13:1; 15:5,20; 17:21,25; 19:13

Context: Various proverbs describing a foolish son as a grief to his father, showing the result of rejecting fatherly instruction.

Isaiah 1:2-8

Context: God nourished children who rebelled; a sinful nation, laden with iniquity, resulting in desolation; example of a bastard nation.

Psalm 33:12

Context: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen; nation defined as people.

Psalm 65:4

Context: Blessed is the man whom God chooses; individuals make up nations.

Psalm 106:4-5

Context: The psalmist asks to see the good of God's chosen and rejoice in the gladness of His nation; nation as people.

Historical References

George Washington

Context: Known as the father of the country; quoted on duty of nations to acknowledge God (1789) and address to Continental Army (1776).

Founding Fathers (Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, etc.)

Context: Men who had a major role in founding America; Weaver laments that we have strayed from their principles.

Pastors during American War for Independence (Jonas Clark, John Witherspoon, etc.)

Context: Spiritual fathers whose importance is unrecognized; they were instrumental in founding and protecting the nation.

Fisher Ames

Context: Influential member of first federal Congress; recommended the Bible as a school book for its morals and English.

John Adams

Context: Wrote to Benjamin Rush (1807) on the Bible's philosophy and necessity for republican government; diary entry (1756) on Bible as law book; quotes on Christianity and the Revolution.

Patrick Henry

Context: Stated the Bible is worth more than all other books ever printed.

John Jay

Context: First Supreme Court Justice; said the Bible is the best of all books, teaching happiness in this world and the next.

Alexis de Tocqueville

Context: Frenchman who wrote 'Democracy in America'; observed that Christianity and liberty were intimately combined in American minds.

Thomas Paine

Context: In 'The American Crisis,' said America will never be happy until free of foreign dominion; Weaver applies this to modern elite control.

R.J. Rushdoony

Context: Quoted from article 'How to Pray Thy Kingdom Come' on fatherless homes and godless nations being broken and subject to judgment.

Important Quotes

My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

Significance: Elisha's cry at Elijah's departure, recognizing the prophet as the true protection of Israel, used to argue that God's representatives are a nation's defense.

But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.

Significance: The key verse defining a bastard as one without fatherly discipline, applied to individuals and nations.

A fatherless home is a broken home, one lacking its true support and authority. Likewise, a people whose lives are lived apart from God the Father are without true authority and security.

Significance: Rushdoony quote summarizing the sermon's theme that rejecting God the Father leads to national brokenness.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Significance: Psalm 33:12 used to define a nation as people under God's lordship, foundational to the argument.

Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Significance: Proverbs 14:34 linking national exaltation to righteousness, and equating nation with people.

The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father.

Significance: Weaver's concluding call to repentance as the sole remedy for America's condition.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent.

Significance: Revelation 3:19 used to show that chastening is an act of love, and the proper response is repentance.

The highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity.

Significance: John Adams quote demonstrating the Christian foundation of America, contrasted with its current rejection.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical definition of a nation as a people, rather than a landmass, change the way we think about national identity and accountability to God?

Context: Weaver argues extensively that 'nation' in Scripture refers to people, not territory.

In what ways does the absence of God's chastening on a nation indicate that it has become a 'bastard nation'?

Context: Based on Hebrews 12:8, Weaver says lack of discipline proves bastardy.

What evidence does Weaver present that America has rejected God's fatherly authority, and do you agree with his assessment?

Context: He lists corruption, immorality, and attacks on patriarchy as evidence.

How should the church respond to the claim that America is a bastard nation? What practical steps can be taken?

Context: Weaver calls for repentance, faith, and obedience as the only way out.

What role do spiritual fathers (pastors, prophets) play in the protection and guidance of a nation, according to the examples of Elijah and Elisha?

Context: Weaver uses 2 Kings 2 and 13 to show that God's representatives are the true defense.

How does the concept of fatherly authority in the family (1 Corinthians 11:3; Exodus 22:16-17) relate to national fatherhood?

Context: Weaver connects familial patriarchy to national order under God.

Weaver quotes several founding fathers on the importance of the Bible and Christianity. How should these historical perspectives inform our current national discourse?

Context: Quotes from Washington, Adams, Henry, Jay, and others are presented.

What does it mean for a nation to 'return to the Father' through Jesus Christ, and is such a collective return possible?

Context: Weaver concludes with a call to national repentance and faith in Christ.

Applications

Examine personal and national chastening

Summary: Evaluate whether you or the nation experience God's discipline as a sign of sonship, or if the absence of chastening indicates a bastard condition.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If someone who professes to be a Christian can consistently sin... and does not get chastened... that individual is not a Christian. He's a bastard.'

Repent and return to God the Father

Summary: The only remedy for a bastard nation is collective and individual repentance, faith, and obedience to God through Jesus Christ.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father... we must come back in humility, in repentance, in faith, in obedience.'

Uphold fatherly authority in families and society

Summary: Recognize and submit to God's order of authority (God-Christ-man-woman) in the home and resist cultural attacks on patriarchy.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 and says, 'feminism and wokeism... fight against fatherly authority and headship.'

Trust in God, not human strength, for national security

Summary: Rely on God and His representatives (faithful preachers) rather than military might or wealth for protection.

Evidence: Weaver uses Psalm 20:7, 127:1, and the examples of Elijah and Elisha to show that safety is of the Lord.

Return to the Bible as the standard for law and morality

Summary: Advocate for the Bible's principles in public life, as the founding fathers did, to restore righteousness and liberty.

Evidence: Weaver quotes John Adams: 'Without national morality, a Republican government... cannot be maintained.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:39:22Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T11:19:00Z

Clean Transcript

Does America Have A Father Or Is It A Bastard Nation?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

And we're going to read verses 4 and 5. However, I will not be expounding on these two verses other than showing you a development as we go through the Scriptures looking at them. So notice, if you would, Genesis chapter 17. The title of the message, it may surprise you, so listen carefully. The title of the message is, "Does America have a father or is it a bastard nation?" So look in Genesis chapter 17, notice verses four and five. God says, "And for me, behold, my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations." He's speaking to Abram. "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee." Notice, if you would, even here, when he talks about a father of many nations, it is not talking about a land mass or a geographical location.
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It is referring to people. Now, the title of this sermon seems a bit strange and unique in one sense of the word. Because this question, does America have a father, or is America a bastard nation? It could be asked another way, and that way of asking is simply this, who is the father of our nation if there is one? And for instance, I'm sure that you could give me some historical answers. For instance, most people would say, well, George Washington is known as the father of our country, and that is certainly true. And I believe that George Washington was not only a noble man, I believe he was a godly man, and I certainly believe that he was a patriot. And let me give you just a couple of samples, and I'll give you another quote later, of something that George Washington said.
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For instance, in October the 3rd, 1789, he says this, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." And then his address to the Continental Army before the Battle of Long Island on August the 27th, 1776, he said this, "The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves, whether they are to have any property they can call their own, whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human effort will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend under God on the courage and the conduct of this army."
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"Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or to die." Certainly, the truth that he enunciated in 1776 is equally true and valid today because we have cruel and unrelenting enemies that have secured for themselves positions of power, positions of wealth, and they seek basically to enslave the world.
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Now, when we talk about founding fathers, we can name a number of men like Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, John Witherspoon, Ben Franklin, Jonathan Mayhew, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and a host of other men. And certainly each of these men did indeed have a major role in the founding of this country. And as I think about these men, I think about the fact that not only they had a major role, but it is probably with regret today and disappointment that we have to say that we have strayed from and left the principles that they enunciated and set forth. And if it were absolutely possible, if those men were able to see today what is going on, I'm sure that they would indeed be rolling over in their graves, in one sense of the word, because we have indeed left everything that they labored for and sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to secure. But not only do we have founding fathers, per se, but we also had spiritual fathers as well.
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There were so many pastors during the American War for Independence. Everybody knows of Jonas Clark, of course. And then there was John Witherspoon. There was Ezra Stiles. There was Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. And there was also Jacob Duchesne, who also gave the first prayer in Congress as well. There was Moses and Thomas Allen. There was Timothy Dwight. There was James Caldwell. There was John Gano, and a host of others as well.
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So, unhappily, most historians, as well as most people today, have not recognized the importance of God's preachers in the founding, and yea, even in the protection of this country. Because most people today depend upon standing armies, or great wealth, or great weaponry, or something like that, and thinking that our safety lies in that. Let me give you just a few quotes, and I want you to think about these as I give them to you.
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We're going to be looking at a number of scriptures, but in light of just what I said, Proverbs 20 and verse 7, the Bible says some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. And then in Psalm 147 and verse 10, he delighteth not in the strength of a horse, he taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man. In other words, man's ability, man's strength, man's anything that man can do, it does not please God in and of himself. So he takes no delight in the legs of a man. When you get to Psalm 33 verses 16 and 17, the scripture says there is no king saved by the multitude of a host. A mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
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A horse is a vain thing for safety. Neither will he deliver anybody's great strength. So notice, if you would, everything is actually putting down what you and I would call that which we mainly depend upon. And I love Psalm 127 and verse 1. I've quoted that very often. Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it. And except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. And of course, then in Proverbs 21 and verse 31, the Bible says the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.
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So obviously, standing armies, great weaponry, none of this is really sufficient in defending a people or defending a nation apart from God Himself. Now, there are two very important Scriptures I want you to see. And these Scriptures are in relationship to God's preachers and the protection of His nation. Everyone knows the names of Elijah and Elisha. These were two mighty men of God. They were used of God not only in protecting that nation, but in one sense of the word, in establishing the nation as well. So I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings 2. Remember now, God told Abram that He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Kings 2, notice, if you would please, in verse 12, 2 Kings chapter 2, you remember Elisha. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle upon him, and Elisha said to him, "Let me go and say goodbye to my father and my mother." And Elijah said, "What have I done with thee?"
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So Elisha went back, and he sacrificed his oxen, and he burned his plowing equipment, said goodbye to his father and mother, and followed Elijah and ministered to him. In fact, Elisha was known as the man who poured water upon the hands of Elijah. In other words, he was a servant to Elijah. So look, if you would, in 2 Kings 2 in verse 12, because Elijah was about to be taken to heaven in a whirlwind. In fact, let's read verse 11 as well. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, they behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and ripped them to two pieces. Note what Elisha said when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. He said, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."
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In other words, he is recognizing that Elijah, being a representative of God, was indeed the true protection of the nation. Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles, to 2 Kings 13, you will find that when it came time for Elisha to die, King Joash basically said exactly the same thing concerning Elisha. So in 2 Kings 13, in verse 14, the Bible says, "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness, whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." In other words, we must understand that our safety is really and truly dependent upon God. And God speaks to us through His representatives, through His preachers, through His prophets. And through these preachers and prophets, He warns us, He exhorts us, He admonishes us. He encourages us. And so we must heed the warnings if we really and truly wish to be protected, and if we really and truly wish to be prosperous.
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Now, since we're talking about fathers, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 4. We've talked about founding fathers. We've talked about spiritual fathers in one sense of the word. God said to Abram, He's going to make him a father of many nations. So if you will look in your Bibles now to Romans 4, you will see how in the New Testament that the truth is given to us again concerning Abram. So Romans 4, beginning there with verse 11. Look at it. Romans 4, verse 11.
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"And he, that is Abraham, received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised." Now look, "that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." So the Bible tells us that he is indeed the father of all of those that believe. And all of those that believe are going to be walking the steps of Abraham.
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Now, the Apostle Paul himself claimed to be a spiritual father. How did he get to be a spiritual father? And the answer is, through the ministry which God gave him, preaching and teaching where many were converted. In fact, the Apostle Paul started a number of churches. He started the church at Corinth, and he wrote to these Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 15 and said this, "For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel." So Paul is claiming to be their spiritual father, because he was the means that God used to convert them. And then, of course, he said to the Galatians, in Galatians 4 and verse 19, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." So again, we have Paul then as a spiritual father.
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I'm saying all this to point out something, and that is this, we have failed to recognize the importance of the significance and, I'll say the word again, of the significance and the importance or the necessity of fathers and fatherhood. This is true not only in the familial realm, the family realm, it's true in the spiritual realm, it's also true in the national realm. When you look around in our country, you will find that feminism and wokeism and all the other isms as well, all fight against fatherly authority and headship and influence. God places a great deal of emphasis upon the man, upon headship. I want to show you just two passages that will demonstrate this importance. So if you look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 11, I quoted this verse last week, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm teaching this week. 1 Corinthians 11, look if you would please at verse 3.
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So the Apostle Paul is going to enunciate God's order. And here's what he says, "But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." So here you have it. There is God, Christ, man, woman. That is God's order. Not only His order, that is the way everything moves.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just as God requires the woman, the wife, the mother to be in submission to her husband, God also requires the husband to be in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. No one escapes submission. So even our Lord Jesus Christ, as He came as the God-man, submitted Himself to the will of His Father. So many times He said, "I came not to do My own will, but to Him, the will of Him that sent Me." God, Christ, man, woman.
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This is true in the home, and it's true in other areas as well. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, the book of Exodus, chapter 22, and verses 16 and 17. I'm just trying to show you right now, fatherly authority, patriarchal authority, if you wish to call it this. Look at this. Exodus chapter 22, beginning there with verse 16. And let me just stop with verse 16. Look at this.
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The Bible says, "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife." So if a man then seduces a young woman, she's not betrothed, she's not married, she's not engaged, God said, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. In other words, he must marry her.
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Now, if this law was applied, I think it would certainly cut down on a lot of fornication. But now watch if you would again, verse 16, because there's going to be an exception to this. Watch. "And if a man enticeth a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife, if her father utterly refused to give her unto him."
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"He shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So the only exception to verse 16 is verse 17, if the father utterly refused to give her unto him. And in other words, even in an immoral situation, even what you and I might call an emergency situation, the father still had the authority to say, "Yes, she may marry him," or "No, she may not marry him." And if he said no, then the man was to pay the young woman a dowry according to virgins, which was usually two to three years' wages. Yes. So, but the point I'm trying to make at this point is, obviously, here is fatherly authority clearly established in the Bible. So the father had the final say whether or not the daughter was to marry or not to marry.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5. And here is another reason why. And I quoted this passage last week. So, Clay, I'm only hitting a light point of last week's message, okay? So, Mary, listen up. All right. So notice, if you would, Ephesians chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 31. The Bible says, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
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"This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular husbands so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband." So notice if you would, again, we're talking about a position of importance, a position of authority, and a position of honor.
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Now, with this in mind, with the background, I want you to turn right over to Hebrews chapter 12, because you're going to see the connection, I hope now, of what I've been trying to show you in reference to fathers. There have been founding fathers, political fathers, spiritual fathers. So, let's begin reading with verse 5, Hebrews 12, verse 5. "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children."
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"My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons." Now, what I want to do is ask you to concentrate with me just for a little bit on this truth where he said, "But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons."
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Let me say this, first of all. Do not shy away from this word. Do not be upset about this word. It is a biblical word, and it certainly conveys truth that is applicable, not just to the families, but also to the nation as well.
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Now, what in the world is a bastard? First of all, the Greek word is nothos, and it literally means a bastard or what you and I would call an illegitimate son, one that is born out of wedlock. Such children back in Bible times were usually born to concubines, to prostitutes or to slaves. Today, many such children are born due to high immorality, governmental education, welfare, and ungodly and unbiblical sexual exploitation. So I want you to note in the context the significance of the word bastard.
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He said, watch carefully, "But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons." So a bastard, according to the Bible, is a fatherless child. He was a child that was not loved by his father. He was not loved by the man who sired him. And therefore, he is not only unloved, he's untaught, he's untrained, he is undisciplined. He has no fatherly direction. He has no fatherly instruction. He's not under a father's law. In other words, there's no accountability to this child because there's no authority over this child.
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Now, this truth should make something exceedingly clear, and that is this, that child discipline, child instruction, child training is not a form of hate, but a form of love, because the father that loves his child will educate him, will train that child, and will certainly discipline that child as well. Now, another thought concerning a bastard is this. It is possible, and I'll show you from Scripture, it is possible that one could make himself a bastard. Hmm. How in the world could that possibly happen? That is by the child refusing the authority of the father, refusing the instruction of the father, refusing the law of the father, refusing to hear, refusing to heed, refusing to obey. And he would be for all practicality what you and I would call a bastard.
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Now, the interesting thing is this, and I'm going to show you very quickly. Such a person in the book of Proverbs is called a fool, foolish, a scorner, a despiser, and a grievous person. So let me show you. Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Proverbs chapter 10. And look, if you would please, at verse 1, Proverbs 10 and verse 1. I'll just show you several passages very quickly. Note, if you would, what this child is called. Look at it. "The Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is heaviness, is the heaviness of his mother." A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Look in chapter 13 and verse 1. Here it is again. "A wise son heareth his father's instruction, but a scorner heareth not rebuke." A scorner heareth not rebuke. Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Now, in this passage, he's called a fool. "A fool despiseth his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." Skip down to verse 20 in the same chapter.
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"A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother." Look, if you would, in Proverbs 17 and verse 21. Proverbs 17, verse 21. "He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow, and the father of a fool hath no joy." Skip down to verse 25. "A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bear him." And then if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 13, the Scripture says, "A foolish son is the calamity of his father, and the contentions of a wife are continual dripping." A foolish son is the calamity of his father. So all through this book of Proverbs, he's been called a fool, he's been called foolish, he's been called a scorner, he's been called one who despises reproof and rebuke. Now, we've been talking about a father, and we've been talking about children.
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And God said to Abram that I'm going to make thee a father of many nations. Let me say this again, and I'm going to show it to you from Scripture. A nation is not a landmass. A nation is a people. So I'm telling you that it is possible for individuals, for families, for churches, for nations to become bastards. So you could have a bastard, a bastard family, a bastard church, and a bastard nation.
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I'll give you the prime example. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah chapter 1, and you can see how bastard individuals become a bastard nation. Watch. Isaiah chapter 1, beginning there with verse 2. Look what God says. "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken." Now note what God says, and He's talking about Israel.
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He said, "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Now here's how stupid they are. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel does not know. My people does not consider." In other words, they don't know which side their bread is buttered on. They don't even know where their bread comes from. They're dumber than an animal.
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Now, watch if you would, look if you would, in verse two again, he said, "Hear, O Israel, and give ear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me." Then he said in verse 3, the latter part, "my people doth not consider." Now watch verse 4, "a sinful nation." A nation is a people. It's usually a people of the same race. It's usually a people of the same speech. It's usually people of the same faith. He says, "Ah sinful nation of people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors, they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel into anger, and they are going away backward." Now watch how impotent they are.
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"Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been clothed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
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Now here's the result of having a bastard nation. "Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land, strangers devoured in your presence. It is desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion, that would be Israel, is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." So this passage not only states, but demonstrates rebellion, and especially that of rebellious children.
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They do not recognize their father. They do not recognize his law. They do not recognize his authority. They're dumber than animals. They're laden with their sins. They're laden with their iniquities. They provoke God in His face. They thumb their nose in His face. They're defiant unto Him. They refuse correction. Nothing that He does to them will turn them. It just simply makes them worse and worse and worse. They will not hear. They will not heed. They will not listen. They will not obey. Practically speaking, they have no father. They're bastards, and a bastard nation.
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I was reading a short article by R.J. Rushdoony. In fact, the article was titled, "How to Pray Thy Kingdom Come." And I got the one paragraph, and that one paragraph got my mind to churning. And I want you to listen to what Rushdoony wrote. And Rushdoony's been dead since '91, I think it was, or '99, sometime in the 90s. But listen to what he wrote. "A fatherless home is a broken home, one lacking its true support and authority. Likewise, a people whose lives are lived apart from God the Father are without true authority and security. A godless nation is a nation in which authority and law are broken or corrupt because the only source of authority is denied or neglected. The nations of today are broken homes, breeding delinquency in the body politic because of their prodigal wandering from the authority of God the Father, who is alone the true sovereign of all nations. Having rejected His authority, they are subject to His judgment." Wow! When you look at America and what is going on today, it is absolutely astounding in light of what he wrote, because this is exactly where we are.
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That's why you have congressmen like Jerry Nadler, who says the Bible has no place in Congress. Wow. Let me show you something. Go back in your Bibles to Psalm 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 12. Psalm 33, verse 12. Watch this. Psalm 33, verse 12. The Word of God says, look at it now, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." Now, wait, look at that again. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people." It's the people who make up the nation. The nation is the people.
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It is not a geographical landmass. So he says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for His inheritance."
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Now, if you would, turn right over to Psalm 65. As you're turning there, you must understand this, that nations may have God as their Lord and Father exactly as do individuals. So, in Psalm 33 and verse 12, the nation is defined as people, and people are defined as the nation. In other words, nations are made up of individuals. They are made up of people. When you look at Psalm 65, look if you would please there at verse 4, Psalm 65 and verse 4, the Bible says, "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even thy holy temple. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee." So God chooses individuals. Individuals are people, and people make up nations. Hmm. So let's look in Psalm 106. Let's tie this together plainly. Psalm 106. And let's begin reading there with verse 1, Psalm 106, verse 1.
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"Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord," now watch, "'Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people. O visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance.'" So He has chosen individuals. He's chosen people. Those people then make up the nation and his inheritance. Wow! So the word nation does not refer specifically to a landmass or to borders, but to a people, a people of the same race, same religion, the same faith, the same language. Now, let me show you.
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Turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 25. You remember Rebekah, Isaac's wife, was going to have twins. And those twins were struggling in her womb. So if you'll notice in Genesis chapter 25, let's begin reading there with verse 22. "And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord." So here's what the Lord told her. Now watch carefully. "And the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people or the one nation shall be stronger than the other people of the other nation, and the elder shall serve the younger." So a nation is a people. Two nations are in her womb, two peoples were in her womb. In other words, two different people, two different nations.
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The Edomites were not like the Israelites. They were totally, completely different. Look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 33 and verse 13. Exodus 33 verse 13. Watch this. Exodus 33 and verse 13.
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Moses says, "Now therefore I pray thee, if I found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people." Hmm. This nation is thy people. They were not in the promised land. They were not in a geographical landmass. He said, "this nation is thy people." If you would turn right on over to the book of Leviticus chapter 20, Leviticus chapter 20, and look at verses 23. Watch if you would, begin with verse 23, Leviticus 20, verse 23. He said, "And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation which I cast out before you." Now, obviously, they were going to walk on the same land, but a nation is not a land, a nation is people. He said, "And you shall not walk in the manner of the nation, or the people, which I cast out before you. For they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them."
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"But I have said unto you, You shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey. I'm the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people." Note, if you would, He said, you're not going to walk like the other nation, that is, the other people. But He said, I'm going to give you their land. But a nation is a people.
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Then if you would turn right on over to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, Deuteronomy chapter 4. And this one is absolutely beautiful. It is astounding. Look what God says to His people. Deuteronomy chapter 4, beginning there with verse 6. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 6. In fact, let's read verse 5. "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whither you go to possess it." So Moses is telling this to the people. "Keep therefore and do them," that is God's law, God's judgments, "Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations," not in sight of the landmasses, but in sight of other people. "Which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation, that is, this great people, is a wise and understanding people. For what nation or what people is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we shall call upon Him for."
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"And what nation or what people is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" So notice if you would how nations are indeed people.
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Now, you say, but is it different in the New Testament? And the answer is no. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 21, you remember how those Jews and the Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus, rejected Him, and notice if you would, after He told the parable of the vineyard in Matthew chapter 21, let's begin reading with verse 40, Matthew 21 and verse 40. In fact, go back to verse 39, "He finally sent His only Son, verse 39, and they caught him, cast him out of the vineyard, and they slew him." Well, that's exactly what they did to the Lord Jesus. Now, look what our Lord asked, "'When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen?' They say unto Him, 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, who will render Him the fruits in their seasons.' Jesus said unto them, 'Did you never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.'"
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"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation or a people bringing forth the fruits thereof." It's not given to a landmass. The landmass can't bring forth any fruits thereof. It's the people that can do that. So our Lord said, the kingdom is going to be taken from you, and it's going to be given to a people that will bring forth the fruits thereof. So the nations are a people, and not necessarily a geographical piece of land.
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Now, let me just ask you a question. I want you to think about the title of this message. Does America have a father, or is America a bastard nation? You remember I told you that you can become a bastard by rejecting the authority of the Father, the law of the Father, the rule of the Father. Isaiah chapter 1 makes that exceedingly clear. So let me give you a few quotes. I want you to listen to these quotes from our founding fathers, so to speak.
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Fisher Ames, who was an influential member of the first federal Congress, recommended the Scriptures text book. He said this, "Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. In no book is there such good English, so pure and so elegant, and by teaching all from the same book, they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith." How many government schools teach the Bible? Not even as English normally. No.
#54 | 44:16 to 45:08 | cleaned
John Adams wrote to Benjamin Rush on February the 2nd, 1807, and he says this, "The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon earth. It is the most Republican book, that is, the rule of law in the world, and therefore I will still revere it. Without national morality, a Republican government or government of law cannot be maintained." Listen, without national morality, a government of law cannot be maintained. Patrick Henry said, "The Bible is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed." John Jay, President of the Continental Congress, who also helped co-author the Federalist Papers, and was the first Supreme Court Justice, said it like this, "The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the Word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue, therefore, to read it and to regulate your life by its principles."
#55 | 45:09 to 46:20 | cleaned
George Washington, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly to implore His protection and favor." Moreover, he said, "We owe God our sincere and humble thanks for the favorable interpositions of His providence." John Adams, as a young man, wrote this in his diary in 1756. He said, "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precept there exhibited. Every member would be obliged in conscience to temperance, to frugality, and to industry, to justice, and kindness, and charity toward his fellow men, and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God. What a utopia, what a paradise that region would be if people just simply lived by the Bible." Alexis de Tocqueville, the Frenchman who came to America and wrote the book, Democracy in America, made this comment in the book.
#56 | 46:22 to 47:40 | cleaned
He said, "Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention. The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive of the one without the other." Stop and think about that. He said that Christianity and liberty were so intertwined in the American mind when he came here that it was impossible to distinguish one without the other. And that's the way it should be, for the Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where He is not, there is no liberty. There is only enslavement.
#57 | 47:41 to 48:23 | cleaned
It was John Hancock and, well, it's John Adams who said, "We recognize no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus." These men were the ones who helped found this country. Here's some quotes from John Adams. Listen, I'll tie it together, but listen. He said, "The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the precepts of Christianity. The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the great principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God."
#58 | 48:25 to 49:10 | cleaned
Did you hear what he said? The general principles upon which freedom was established was the principles of Christianity. He goes on to say this, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity." In 1776, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he said, "We have this day restored the sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient."
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"He reigns in heaven from the rising to the setting sun. Let his kingdom come." One more quote. John Adams to John Scolay in 1776 said, "Revelation assures us that righteousness exalted the nation. Communities are dealt with in this world by the wise and just ruler of the universe. He rewards or punishes them according to their general character." And then he went on to say that happiness is connected to virtue. And when virtue is diminished, so does happiness, and so does liberty, and so does freedom.
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Now the Bible says in the book of Proverbs chapter 14 and verse 34, listen carefully, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." There's the nation and there's the people. Righteousness exalteth the nation. We could say righteousness exalteth the people, but sin is a reproach to any people or to any nation, because a nation happens to be the people. And when you get to Psalm 9 in verse 17, the Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God. It's not the land masses that's going to be turned into hell, but the people, because nations are people.
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So let me ask this question again. Is America a bastard nation? Has America forsaken God the Father, His law, His authority, His instruction? So, let me make some applications. Here we go. What is a bastard? It is a child that has no fatherly presence or influence in his life. It is a child that is not disciplined and is rebellious and wicked. Hence the Bible says in Hebrews 12, "He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons."
#62 | 51:19 to 52:14 | cleaned
So let me spell it out for you. Here we go. If someone who professes to be a Christian can consistently and constantly sin and rebel against God and go contrary to God's law and contrary to God's authority and does not get chastened, does not get whipped, does not get corrected, does not get scourged, then that individual is not a Christian. He's a bastard. God chastens His own. I've never whipped any of Steve and Lorraine's children. They're not mine. I have no fatherly authority to do that. That's Steve's position. God is not going to whip those who do not belong to Him.
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So if this is true individually, it is also true nationally because individuals make up nations. Nations are people and people are nations. If a nation can flout God and God's law and thumb its nose in God's face and commit all kinds of wickedness and perversions and murder and whatever it chooses, it is not a Christian nation. It's a bastard nation. Listen to me. Proverbs 3 and verse 12, "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as a father, the son, in whom he delighteth." Listen again, "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth."
#64 | 53:19 to 54:14 | cleaned
Correcting, chastening, scourging, discipline is an act of love. "For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth." You know what our Lord said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 19? He said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent." As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. If you don't get rebuked when you sin, if you don't get chastened when you're sinned, you're not loved by Him as a child. You follow that?
#65 | 54:16 to 55:00 | cleaned
So these truths, I think, are very serious, and I think these truths are also very applicable. When we talk about the lack of discipline, when we talk about the immorality, the destruction of the rule of law, the rise of sexual perversions, the subsidizing of wickedness by our government and groups, the loss of liberty, the denial of rights, the destruction of the home, the mocking of patriarchy, the rise of a matriarchal society.
#66 | 55:04 to 55:32 | cleaned
All this points to the realization that in reality, we're a bastard nation. Everywhere you turn, husbands are put down. Fathers are put down. Patriarchy is put down. Why? Because we're rejecting all authority. From that of our Heavenly Father to that of the earthly fathers. Which is evidence of a bastard nation. Thomas Paine in the American crisis said this. "I am as confident as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of her foreign dominion."
#67 | 55:32 to 56:28 | cleaned
When he wrote that, of course, he was speaking of George III, King of England. However, what are the larger problems that you and I possess in this nation is that we are indeed still under foreign dominion. However, it's not just England. It is those who call themselves the elite who are planning our destruction, who are planning our enslavement, who are planning to destroy everything that Christians hold dear. Now, we are under foreign dominion.
#68 | 56:30 to 56:58 | cleaned
When you read Deuteronomy chapter 28, that is a result of forsaking God and His law. It is denial of our Father's authority. The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father. And our Lord Jesus Christ said, "I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So that means we must come back in humility. We must come back in repentance. We must come back in faith. We must come back in obedience. We must come back and learn to submit to our Father's authority, or else we will continue in the road of judgment. A nation that has God as its Father is an orderly nation, an obedient nation, a law-abiding nation, one full of good works, one full of worship, and one full of faith. It is a nation of law. It is a nation of justice. It is a nation of righteousness.
#69 | 56:59 to 58:11 | cleaned
And when you look around today, we see corruption in the White House, corruption in Congress, corruption in the court system, corruption in big business, corruption everywhere. Why? Because we rejected the authority of the father and his law. And we're just simply evidencing the fact that we've turned our backs upon him, just like Israel in Isaiah chapter one, and we've become a bastard people and a bastard nation because the people are the nation.
#70 | 58:12 to 58:56 | cleaned
The only way out is repentance and obedience and faith. To me, when I thought this thing through, it is a sobering truth. It is a sobering truth. And unless there is real, genuine repentance, as bad as things are now, you ain't seen nothing yet. It will get worse, without repentance and without faith. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Lord, that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith. Grant us, Lord, repentance.
#71 | 58:58 to 59:47 | cleaned
As the psalmist prayed, "Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, Lord, and we shall call upon Thy name." Grant us repentance. Grant us faith. Grant us, Lord, obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#72 | 59:49 to 1:00:05 | cleaned
so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:39:22Z

Does America Have A Father Or Is It A Bastard Nation?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the biblical concept of fatherhood and nationhood, arguing that a nation is defined by its people, not its land. Using Hebrews 12:8, he contends that a nation without God's chastening is a 'bastard nation'—one that has rejected God's fatherly authority, law, and discipline. He applies this to America, citing widespread rebellion, immorality, and rejection of biblical principles as evidence that America has become a bastard nation. The only remedy is national repentance, faith, and return to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Introduction: The Question of America's Fatherhood

Scripture Reading — Genesis 17:4-5

"And for me, behold, my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations."

He's speaking to Abram.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 17:4-5

"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee."

Notice, if you would, even here, when he talks about a father of many nations, it is not talking about a land mass or a geographical location.

Historical and Spiritual Founding Fathers

Biblical Basis: God's Protection Through His Representatives

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 2:11-12

"My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and ripped them to two pieces. Note what Elisha said when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. He said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 2:11-12

"My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 13:14

"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness, whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."

Abraham as the Father of Believers and Paul as a Spiritual Father

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 4:15

"For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel."

The Importance of Fatherly Authority and Headship

The Definition of a Bastard from Hebrews 12

A Nation Can Become a Bastard: The Example of Israel

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-8

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken."

Now note what God says, and He's talking about Israel. He said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-8

"I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Now here's how stupid they are. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel does not know. My people does not consider."

In other words, they don't know which side their bread is buttered on. They don't even know where their bread comes from. They're dumber than an animal.

Nations Are People, Not Landmasses

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:12

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."

Now, wait, look at that again.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:12

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people."

It's the people who make up the nation. The nation is the people.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 65:4

"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even thy holy temple. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee."

Evidence of America as a Bastard Nation

Application and Call to Repentance

Does America Have A Father Or Is It A Bastard Nation?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	F2yxww9KG0M
Subject	Family Government
Course	Fatherhood and Authority
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-02-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 029: Fatherhood and Authority — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	73

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of America's Fatherhood: Weaver poses the question of whether America has a father or is a bastard nation, referencing Genesis 17:4-5 where God makes Abram a father of many nations, emphasizing that 'nation' refers to people, not land.
Historical and Spiritual Founding Fathers: Weaver acknowledges George Washington and other founding fathers as noble and godly men, but notes that America has strayed from their principles. He also highlights the role of pastors as spiritual fathers in the nation's founding and protection.
Biblical Basis: God's Protection Through His Representatives: Using 2 Kings 2:12 and 13:14, Weaver shows that Elijah and Elisha were called 'the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof,' indicating that God's prophets are the true protectors of a nation, not military might.
Abraham as the Father of Believers and Paul as a Spiritual Father: Weaver explains from Romans 4:11-12 that Abraham is the father of all who believe, and from 1 Corinthians 4:15 that Paul became a spiritual father through the gospel, emphasizing the importance of spiritual fatherhood.
The Importance of Fatherly Authority and Headship: Weaver argues that feminism and wokeism attack fatherly authority. He cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 for God's order (God, Christ, man, woman) and Exodus 22:16-17 to show a father's authority even in immoral situations.
The Definition of a Bastard from Hebrews 12: Weaver defines 'bastard' (Greek nothos) as an illegitimate, fatherless child who is unloved, untaught, undisciplined, and without accountability. He explains that chastening is a sign of sonship, and its absence indicates bastardy.
A Nation Can Become a Bastard: The Example of Israel: Weaver uses Isaiah 1:2-7 to show how rebellious children become a sinful nation, resulting in desolation. He argues that individuals, families, churches, and nations can become bastards by rejecting God's authority.
Nations Are People, Not Landmasses: Weaver provides multiple scriptures (Psalm 33:12, 106:4-5; Genesis 25:22-23; Exodus 33:13; Leviticus 20:23-24; Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Matthew 21:43) to prove that a nation is a people, not a geographical area.
Evidence of America as a Bastard Nation: Weaver cites quotes from founding fathers and Alexis de Tocqueville to show America's Christian heritage, then contrasts it with current rejection of God's law, corruption, and immorality, concluding America is a bastard nation.
Application and Call to Repentance: Weaver applies the principle that lack of chastening indicates bastardy to individuals and nations. He calls for repentance, faith, and return to God the Father through Jesus Christ as the only remedy.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

A nation is defined by its people, not its territory.

Weaver argues that the Bible consistently uses 'nation' to refer to a people group, not a geographical area, which is crucial for applying the concept of fatherhood to America.

He cites Genesis 25:23, Exodus 33:13, Deuteronomy 4:6-8, and Matthew 21:43, where 'nation' is equated with 'people.'

God's true protection of a nation comes through His representatives, not military might.

Weaver uses the examples of Elijah and Elisha being called 'the chariot of Israel' to show that prophets and preachers are the real defense of a nation.

He reads 2 Kings 2:12 and 13:14, and cites Psalm 20:7, 147:10, 33:16-17, and 127:1 to argue that safety is of the Lord.

Fatherly authority is ordained by God and essential for order.

Weaver asserts that God's order is God-Christ-man-woman, and that fatherly authority is under attack today, leading to societal breakdown.

He references 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Exodus 22:16-17, and states that 'feminism and wokeism... fight against fatherly authority.'

A bastard is a fatherless child, lacking discipline and accountability.

Weaver defines 'bastard' from Hebrews 12:8 as one without a father's love, instruction, and chastening, and extends this to nations.

He explains the Greek word nothos and describes a bastard as 'unloved, untaught, untrained, undisciplined... no accountability.'

America exhibits the characteristics of a bastard nation.

Weaver lists evidence such as rejection of the Bible, corruption, immorality, and attacks on patriarchy, concluding America has become a bastard nation.

He cites quotes from founding fathers on the Bible's role, then contrasts with current conditions: 'corruption in the White House, corruption in Congress, corruption in the court system.'

National repentance is the only solution.

Weaver argues that just as individuals must repent, so must the nation collectively return to God to escape judgment.

He says, 'The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father... we must come back in humility, in repentance, in faith, in obedience.'

Scripture References

Genesis 17:4-5: God promises Abram he will be a father of many nations, emphasizing that 'nation' refers to people.
Proverbs 20:7: Some trust in chariots and horses, but we remember the Lord; used to show that military might is not true security.
Psalm 147:10: God takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or legs of a man; human ability does not please God.
Psalm 33:16-17: No king is saved by a multitude; a horse is a vain thing for safety; safety is of the Lord.
Psalm 127:1: Except the Lord build the house and keep the city, human efforts are in vain.
Proverbs 21:31: The horse is prepared for battle, but safety is of the Lord.
2 Kings 2:11-12: Elisha cries 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel' as Elijah is taken up, recognizing the prophet as the nation's protection.
2 Kings 13:14: King Joash says the same of Elisha at his death, reinforcing that God's representatives are the true defense.
Romans 4:11-12: Abraham is the father of all who believe, both circumcised and uncircumcised, who walk in his steps of faith.
1 Corinthians 4:15: Paul claims to be a spiritual father to the Corinthians because he begot them through the gospel.
Galatians 4:19: Paul travails in birth again until Christ is formed in the Galatians, showing spiritual fatherhood.
1 Corinthians 11:3: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God; establishes divine order.
Exodus 22:16-17: If a man seduces a virgin, he must marry her unless her father refuses; shows fatherly authority even in immorality.
Ephesians 5:31-33: Husbands love wives, wives reverence husbands; emphasizes marital order and authority.
Hebrews 12:5-8: God chastens every son; if without chastisement, you are bastards, not sons; central text for the sermon.
Proverbs 10:1; 13:1; 15:5,20; 17:21,25; 19:13: Various proverbs describing a foolish son as a grief to his father, showing the result of rejecting fatherly instruction.
Isaiah 1:2-8: God nourished children who rebelled; a sinful nation, laden with iniquity, resulting in desolation; example of a bastard nation.
Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen; nation defined as people.
Psalm 65:4: Blessed is the man whom God chooses; individuals make up nations.
Psalm 106:4-5: The psalmist asks to see the good of God's chosen and rejoice in the gladness of His nation; nation as people.

Historical References

George Washington: Known as the father of the country; quoted on duty of nations to acknowledge God (1789) and address to Continental Army (1776).
Founding Fathers (Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, etc.): Men who had a major role in founding America; Weaver laments that we have strayed from their principles.
Pastors during American War for Independence (Jonas Clark, John Witherspoon, etc.): Spiritual fathers whose importance is unrecognized; they were instrumental in founding and protecting the nation.
Fisher Ames: Influential member of first federal Congress; recommended the Bible as a school book for its morals and English.
John Adams: Wrote to Benjamin Rush (1807) on the Bible's philosophy and necessity for republican government; diary entry (1756) on Bible as law book; quotes on Christianity and the Revolution.
Patrick Henry: Stated the Bible is worth more than all other books ever printed.
John Jay: First Supreme Court Justice; said the Bible is the best of all books, teaching happiness in this world and the next.
Alexis de Tocqueville: Frenchman who wrote 'Democracy in America'; observed that Christianity and liberty were intimately combined in American minds.
Thomas Paine: In 'The American Crisis,' said America will never be happy until free of foreign dominion; Weaver applies this to modern elite control.
R.J. Rushdoony: Quoted from article 'How to Pray Thy Kingdom Come' on fatherless homes and godless nations being broken and subject to judgment.

Important Quotes

My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

Elisha's cry at Elijah's departure, recognizing the prophet as the true protection of Israel, used to argue that God's representatives are a nation's defense.

But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.

The key verse defining a bastard as one without fatherly discipline, applied to individuals and nations.

A fatherless home is a broken home, one lacking its true support and authority. Likewise, a people whose lives are lived apart from God the Father are without true authority and security.

Rushdoony quote summarizing the sermon's theme that rejecting God the Father leads to national brokenness.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Psalm 33:12 used to define a nation as people under God's lordship, foundational to the argument.

Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Proverbs 14:34 linking national exaltation to righteousness, and equating nation with people.

The only way out of a bastard nation is to return to the Father.

Weaver's concluding call to repentance as the sole remedy for America's condition.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent.

Revelation 3:19 used to show that chastening is an act of love, and the proper response is repentance.

The highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity.

John Adams quote demonstrating the Christian foundation of America, contrasted with its current rejection.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical definition of a nation as a people, rather than a landmass, change the way we think about national identity and accountability to God?

[Context]

Weaver argues extensively that 'nation' in Scripture refers to people, not territory.

[Question]

In what ways does the absence of God's chastening on a nation indicate that it has become a 'bastard nation'?

[Context]

Based on Hebrews 12:8, Weaver says lack of discipline proves bastardy.

[Question]

What evidence does Weaver present that America has rejected God's fatherly authority, and do you agree with his assessment?

[Context]

He lists corruption, immorality, and attacks on patriarchy as evidence.

[Question]

How should the church respond to the claim that America is a bastard nation? What practical steps can be taken?

[Context]

Weaver calls for repentance, faith, and obedience as the only way out.

[Question]

What role do spiritual fathers (pastors, prophets) play in the protection and guidance of a nation, according to the examples of Elijah and Elisha?

[Context]

Weaver uses 2 Kings 2 and 13 to show that God's representatives are the true defense.

[Question]

How does the concept of fatherly authority in the family (1 Corinthians 11:3; Exodus 22:16-17) relate to national fatherhood?

[Context]

Weaver connects familial patriarchy to national order under God.

[Question]

Weaver quotes several founding fathers on the importance of the Bible and Christianity. How should these historical perspectives inform our current national discourse?

[Context]

Quotes from Washington, Adams, Henry, Jay, and others are presented.

[Question]

What does it mean for a nation to 'return to the Father' through Jesus Christ, and is such a collective return possible?

[Context]

Weaver concludes with a call to national repentance and faith in Christ.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T11:19:00Z